Ariana I Was
by jewlzbird
Summary: Ariana Dumbledore has always been an ordinary girl with not much of a life. The strange thing about her is that she wouldn’t have it any other way. But when people find out her secret and start to invade her life, she snaps, and is never seen again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Prologue

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in a folding metal chair in the cemetery of Godric's Hollow along with few others. A small, wispy old man that looked as if he could be blown away with a tiny gust of wind stood at the front next to a tomb. The air was quiet. You couldn't hear the rush of wind, even though it was indeed there; you couldn't hear the ever present birds chirping like on any other morning. It was as if the most important person in the entire world had died- not his sister. She was the most ordinary girl he had ever met. No talents, no good looks. Yet it seemed that nature was displaying otherwise.

"…And so let us all remember Ariana Dumbledore for the rest of our lives, as she was an extraordinary young witch." The little man concluded. Dumbledore almost snorted in disgust. What did this old man know about his sister? Nothing. He was just some old ministry official who probably just made up his little speech. Or maybe perhaps he used the same one for all of the funerals he conducted! Stupid old man.

Wizards and Witches were starting to get up. There weren't that many of them; just the family, a few family friends and some of the Hogwarts Professors. Everybody was beginning to leave, including the little ministry official. After the crowd was gone, Dumbledore was still sitting in his seat. Slowly, he got up and walked towards the tomb. Using his wand, he produced a beautiful red rose out of thin air before laying it upon the shiny wood. He then levitated the tomb into the previously dug hole; he himself had done it by hand.

Then, Dumbledore picked up the discarded shovel and began to pile dirt into the hole until it reached the top. Grass began to grow instantly. It was a charm that was put on the graveyard many years ago. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the ground and muttered a spell. A tombstone appeared with the following written on it;

Ariana Kendra Dumbledore

Beloved daughter and sister

August 11, 1886 - April 26, 1903

Some daisies popped up along the outline of the tombstone. After giving the cemetery one last look, he returned to his parent's house in Godric's Hollow. It was deserted. Percival and Kendra Dumbledore died a young death- as did their daughter. His younger brother Aberforth had long ago moved out to start a pub in Hogsmeade with his goat. Today was the first time he'd seen him without the goat.

Dumbledore ascended the stairs and entered Ariana's room. It was just as she'd left it before she returned to Hogwarts for her seventh year. The walls were painted a pale blue and her bed sheets were white and blue. Her desk was neat and tidy, under the window that overlooked the luxurious garden.

Strolling over to the desk, Dumbledore sat down on the creaky wooden chair. Although he thought his sister wasn't as dedicated to her studies as he wished she was, and although she often irked him to no end and never did what she was told, he could not dismiss the fact that he did, indeed, miss her.

**Author's Note:** None of it is mine, except the plot… Hope you like the prologue, I know its short but…it's a prologue, you know?

The rest of the chapters will all be in Ariana's point of view, but it takes place around four years ago. Anyways, please feel free to become acquainted with that little little button there, the one that says leave a review or something… 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hello. My name is Ariana Dumbledore. I am currently in my third year at Hogwarts. You may know me as the 'loner,' or you may not know me at all. Though the latter applies for just about everybody I know.

So let me tell you a little about myself. You may have noticed that I said that I'm a 'loner.' Well, I guess you could say that I'm sort of friendless. I don't even have any acquaintances. Nobody talks to me, and I talk to nobody. You might think that this leads to a miserable life, but I am perfectly happy with the way my life is running. I was never really the social type of witch. I really rather stay alone; it has been my way of life since I was old enough to talk.

I am completely ordinary. I have no special talents, nor am I especially smart or witty. I'm not brave, nor do I have any ambition to do anything with my life. As I'm sure you've already guessed, I'm a Hufflepuff. I don't have good looks, what with my scraggly dirty blonde hair, abnormally large freckles, and huge green eyes. My older brother Albus once told me that I look like an overgrown house-elf, as a joke, of course. Sometimes I think he was telling the truth though.

So let me tell you about my family. I have two older brothers, Albus, in his seventh year, and Aberforth in his fourth. Albus is rather ambitious- I'm surprised he wasn't in Slytherin, but I'm sure it was his brave, noble heart that saved him from the 'terror' of crossing over to _that_ side. Yes, we are against the Slytherins and their 'pureness.' I'm sure half of them are half-bloods! Or even muggle-born. It really makes no difference to me. We're all the same. Anyways, back to my family. Aberforth is a rather peculiar wizard. He, unlike Albus, has no talents. But, unlike me, he _has_ friends, all of whom are as strange as he is. But, like me, he is perfectly happy with the way his social life is. I'd bet anyone that when he leaves school he will marry a goat and open an unsuccessful bar somewhere hidden in Hogsmeade.

Then there is Mama. Kendra Dumbledore is just about the most pleasant woman you'd ever met. She is very kind, generous, and courteous. She always listens to me, whether I am discussing with her one of my few problems or if I am ranting about something or other of no importance.

My Papa died when I was just barely five years old. I don't remember anything about him, but I do have pictures of him and Mama together on their wedding day, on their honeymoon, the night he proposed, the list goes on. Just looking at those pictures brings tears to my eyes. So young and in love, and now, he was dead, leaving my mama behind.

I do not know how he died. My Mama is very careful about keeping this from me. Somehow, I don't think I want to know.

Albus keeps encouraging me to do my best, be a model student, ect. He wants to turn me into Head Girl one day. I don't want to be it, though. Why would I want all the attention? Surely Albus knows that. Soon enough, I realized that he doesn't know, because he's too busy being popular, exceedingly brilliant, receiving awards- it's ridiculous how unobservant he is, especially for someone with such intelligence.

Anyways, enough rambling about my ludicrous family. I have better things to do…that I have yet to decide, of course. My daily life at Hogwarts is rather dull, in many people's opinions. I wake up, go to classes and meals, do my homework, do something or other and go to bed. Then Albus would say to become a prefect- doing rounds would fill up my evening. Yes, I'd _love_ to spend my evenings roaming about the castle with some student that probably wouldn't even know my name. Very amusing. Stupid Albus. He's such a goody-two-shoes. I'd bet anyone a thousand galleons that he knows every single Educational Decree there is at Hogwarts.

Oh, let me tell you about Hogwarts! It's the most wonderful place to live in, a really beautiful ancient castle. It's absolutely huge! I don't know how many times I've gotten lost in this place. It's the staircases that do it; they're always switching around, stupid things. And such interesting classes! Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against The Dark Arts, History of magic, Astronomy and Herbology. Then there are classes that we get to choose from in third year. I picked Divination, Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes. My favorite classes are Ancient Runes and Charms. Ancient Runes is really interesting. We learn how to read runes and to write them as well. It's really quite fun. Charms is really the best class; it's so convenient to learn all these charms that will help us in later life. And they're really quite easy, though sometimes slightly challenging. Divination is the most boring subject I'd ever heard of. We've got this batty old thing as a teacher. She doesn't do much except squeak about reading palms and tea leaves. She really hasn't got a clue what she's talking about.

Well, it's time for dinner. I don't really feel like going down to the Great Hall. No one would notice that I'm gone anyways. I suppose I could go down to the kitchens – I overheard some fifth years discussing the location. It's down in a corridor somewhere near the entrance hall. Shouldn't be too hard to find, right?

Well, this is going well. I am completely lost. I went to the Entrance Hall, like they said, and went down a corridor, like they said. Then what? There aren't any doors there, only a couple paintings. So I walk down the corridor, hands pressed against the wall. Maybe it's a secret door that will only open when I push it? I'm starting to sigh continuously. There isn't any door! They must have been wrong, the idiots. So I tried another corridor.

Mama always tells me to watch where I'm going. I never really listen to her though. I suppose that that is the reason that I am now stuck on a staircase that was swiveling around like a merry-go-round, or whatever those silly muggle contraptions are called. Alright, no need to panic. I'll just turn around and go back down when it stops. There is no way I am going anywhere whilst it is moving. So I wait. Finally, it stops. I sigh in relief. But then, as I turn around, I realize that the bottom is moving too! I never knew it could do that…

So now I have nowhere to go but up. Who knows where going down could lead me to? And going up, too. Well, I had better get moving before the staircase moves again.

I am pretty sure that I am now up on the seventh floor. I have never really been on it before, so I am not quite sure what to expect. Turning to the left, I catch a glimpse of an abnormally large painting. It is of a lady in the most fine, ancient looking dress I have ever seen. It is extraordinarily beautiful. What intrigues me most is the background of which this woman is standing in front of. I walk closer, until I am only a foot away. The setting is most familiar - yet I cannot place where I have seen it in the past. Before I can even open my mouth to question the lady, however, she asks me one short question.

"Password?" It is a very posh, important voice she used whilst questioning me. It is clear now that this was one of the House common rooms. Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, by the looks of it, as Slytherin is in the Dungeons.

"Sorry, I don't belong in your house. I merely came over here out of curiosity. May I question you as to where you are standing in front of, in the painting?" I use what I hope to sound like a polite tone, so she doesn't think I am here to sneak behind her portrait.

"Why, it is Godric's Hollow, my dear." She answers. Godric's Hollow! That is the neighborhood that my family and I live in. Rumor has it that this was the home of Godric Gryffindor, long ago. So then this is the Gryffindor common room, then.

"Thank you!" I say, and I turn around to leave. I suppose I could do a little more exploring before I return to my dormitory. But, the staircase has disappeared! I walk around the corridor, searching for a way out. I pass by a strange looking painting of a troll in a ballet suit. I giggle as I walk past it. A troll, _dancing_! Simply preposterous. As I turn around the corner, I smack straight into something hard and fall backwards.

"I'm sorry! I was not watching where I was going. Are you all right?" Said a voice. Looking up, I see that it is that of a boy. I recognize him from Ancient Runes, but I do not recall his name.

"No, it was my fault." I say, struggling to sit up. Then, he holds out his hand. Nobody has ever been this nice to me before, so this is quite startling. I take his hand and he helps me to my feet.

"I'm Edmund Colbert."

"Ariana Dumbledore." I answer. He has a nice face, messy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. They reminded me a little of Albus and Aberforth's eyes. If only I had their eyes too. I do so hate these green eyes of mine, they look like those of a house elf!

"You're in my Ancient Runes class, aren't you?" He asks politely. Why was he talking to me, anyways? Most people here know that I am considered as the strange girl who keeps to herself.

"Yes." People start to trickle down the corridor, heading for their common room. I suppose they are all Gryffindors, as is Edmund. "I should go…" I say apologetically. He nods understandingly, as if he knows why I do. Perhaps he does.

"Goodbye." He says. I give a little smile, and then walk off. That must have been the first real conversation I'd ever had with anybody in this school besides my brothers. I shake my head, confused.

At least the staircase is back!

**Author's Note:** Chapter two! Once again, it's all JKR's. And it's longer than the first one, by double at least. Just so everyone knows, the current year is 1899 because after looking at the Harry Potter Timeline (courtesy of HPLexicon, thank you very much) I decided that Ariana would be one year younger than Aberforth, who is three years younger than Albus. I rather that Ariana and Aberforth were two years apart, but I wanted to keep canon and then Ariana would have to be a second year, which I don't want. Nasty business, these timelines… Please review!!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It's Saturday. I got caught up reading last night and didn't start my school work, so here I am, in the library at ten o'clock. Most students here like to sleep in on Saturdays, or put on their work until Sunday, so it's relatively quiet. There are only approximately ten students working, mostly in pairs. I grab a seat at a solitary wooden table and take my work out of my bag. I have Transfiguration, Potions and Charms homework. I start with the potions, as it is my worst subject by far.

Well, this is easy. All I have to do is look up Polyjuice Potion in my Potions book. It's rather silly how some people make a big deal out of these kinds of things and go through the whole library for the answer when it's right there in their book.

After extracting my heavy potions book from my bag, I begin to flip the pages carelessly, searching for my desired potion. Finally, on the page after The Draught of Peace, I find it. It is a N.E.W.T level potion, but it is in the book for reference. Professor Rowle said he merely wants us to learn the ingredients and such, but personally I think he is looking for a good reason to give us more essays. I skim the page quickly. It's such a dreadful potion, really. And it must taste revolting as well. I dip my black quill into a pot of blue ink – my favorite color – and begin to write the information down on a piece of fresh, crisp parchment, in my own words, of course. I don't want to get a detention with Rowle because of plagiarism.

I continue to write to fill up the required six inches. My handwriting never gets any bigger, because I think it's cheating to write hugely to take up more space. I haven't cheated on anything for as long as I can remember. Not even in a game of chess.

Finally, I finish the last word with a flourish and let out a small "ha!" of triumph. Professor Rowle will be impressed. Hopefully. HE usually favors the Slytherins. You'd think he'd at least appreciate some hard work from the other houses!

I finish the rest of my work during the next two hours. Once I did, I roam about the shelves for a while, looking for a suitable book to read. There is nothing really that interesting. Sighing in frustration, I stop abruptly and pull out a random book from a shelf and stride back to my table. I tend to pick out any book from the library when I'm bored. It's usually something interesting at least. This one was particularly small, entitled "An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms." Good, a Charms book! Charms is my best subject. And it's fun, too. The charms we learn are very useful for future life and are easy, too. I flip open the cover and begin to read the small print.

I've missed lunch. I look at my watch and realize that it is a quarter to two, and my stomach is rumbling loudly. So I decide to try to search for the kitchens again.

I pass by Professor Nigellus as I walk by the Entrance Hall. He sneers at me. My goodness, do we have a rude Headmaster! Just because he is a Slytherin he sneers at anyone who isn't like him? How rude. I glare ferociously back at him and turn around the corner. I am back in the door-less, painting-filled hallway. I think hard as I walk by a portrait of a bowl of fruit. I stop in front of it, tilting my head sideways as I examine it. Suddenly, I get an urge to tickle the pear. Odd. I drag my hand up to the painting then stop abruptly. What am I doing tickling a _pear_?? And a painting of a pear, nonetheless! Have I gone mentally insane? After pondering upon this for a few seconds, I decide to tickle the pear. What harm could it do? I tickle the pear and it turns into a doorknob! My heart thumps with excitement. Thoughts of the kitchens are blown straight out of my mind as I ponder as to what might be behind this door. I give up on thinking and wrench the door open.

The room I enter is very large. There are many little creatures roaming about, carrying plates and trays of food. I recognize them as house-elves. There are four long tables that are being cleared by the elves as I walk in. Everything is white. The walls are white, the ceiling is white, the floor is white and the tables are white. Even the little togas that the elves wear are white. My mouth is hanging open as I take it all in. Then I realize that this must be the Hogwarts Kitchen!

A little elf spots me and skips over. I think it is a female elf, but I cannot be sure.

"What can Minnie get you, miss?" She asks me ever so politely. I stare at the little elf for a good ten seconds before I realize what she is talking about.

"Could I have two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, please?" I pray that they have it here, as it is my most favorite food.

The elf, Minnie, smiles and says, "One moment, please, miss," and skips off again, presumably to whip up a delicious sandwich. I stand there feeling rather awkward next to all the working elves. I didn't know they made all the food! I wonder why nobody knows about it. There's nothing really wrong about elves working, they seem very happy with what they do. A few minutes later, Minnie comes running back and hands me a plate with two sandwiches and a goblet of pumpkin juice. I thank her profusely and leave the kitchens, munching discreetly as I go. We aren't allowed to eat in the hallways.

I walk back to the Hufflepuff common room, which, I realize, is actually quite close to the kitchens. I can go in there to nip a snack whenever I want now! Grinning with glee, I tell the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff the password and slip inside. It is pretty crowded, since it's not very nice out so no one wants to go outside. I sit down in a squishy black armchair and finish eating the sandwiches.

After I eat I read the book on charms that I found earlier at the library. It is not very interesting after all, just a boring old book about charms from the last century. So now I have nothing to do. I think I will go for a stroll outside. The sun is well hidden behind the grey clouds today, and it is a bit chilly, but I'll go out anyways.

I walk around the black lake and watch the giant squid swimming about. My eyes drag towards the Quidditch pitch.

I had always wanted to try to fly, but never had the guts to. I was always afraid that I would fall off, bump into something or lose control of the broomstick. I was never very brave.

I walk with a determined allure and my head held high. I can do this. It is just sitting on a piece of wood and pushing off the ground, going high in the sky. My stomach churns. I am a little bit afraid of heights. I reach the broom shed and open it. The door creaks. I pick up a decent looking school broom. I don't really know what model it is. I don't ogle at broomsticks like some people do.

I close the door of the shed and walk to the middle of the pitch. What was I supposed to do again? Oh, right. Put the broom on the ground, hold your right hand out and say "up." I put the broom on the ground and put my right hand out above it. My hand is trembling. Stop it, I tell myself. I can do this, I can do this, I chant in my head.

"Up!" The broom shoots upwards into my hand. I swing my right foot over the broom and, without even thinking, I push off the ground.

Flying is a wonderful feeling. The wind is on my face, pushing my hair back, making it stream out behind me. I feel as if I can do anything. Suddenly the broom lurches downwards. I struggle to bring it back up, tugging hard on the handle. There. I'm back in the air, flying straight. I speed up, going higher and higher. I'm above the castle now. I fly past Gryffindor tower. A window is open, and a frowning face is sticking out. It is Albus. I turn around and fly to the window. What on earth does he want? I hover in front of him and cross my arms. Whoa, I'm not even holding on!

"Hey, Al." I greeted him cheerfully.

"Ariana! What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" He asks in an incredulous voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Flying!" I answer.

"Yes, I realized that! It's very dangerous! Especially for a girl! Besides, you should be studying." He says. I scowl at him and turn the broom to leave.

"Ariana," he says in a low, dangerous voice. "I do not want to see you flying ever again."

I open my mouth to retort, but then close it. He looks serious. But what's wrong with flying? I shrug and fly back to the broom shed and put away the broom. I'll lay off the flying, for now anyways.

I don't want to go to dinner, but not showing up for two meals in a row will look suspicious. So I drag my feet down to the Great Hall and sit down at the end of the Hufflepuff table. Tonight's dinner is roasted chicken, potatoes, peas, vegetables, and lots of other stuff I have never even seen before. I grab a chicken leg and a spoonful of peas. I don't really like potatoes much. Or vegetables, really. I'm more of a meat eater. But I do love peas, especially if they're burnt. I chew my food slowly, taking care to not eat too quickly or I'll get a stomach ache.

The food at Hogwarts is delicious. I don't know how the elves do it. There aren't really that many, so how do they make so much food in so little time? I think about this as I eat, staring at my plate. I lift my head to serve myself some more peas – and my eyes lock with Edmund Colbert at the Gryffindor table, talking carelessly with his friends. He nods in acknowledgement and returns to his discussion with the boys surrounding him, who obviously had not noticed anything. I do not nod back, because I am numb with shock.

No one has ever acknowledged me in any way, not even my brothers. They only talk to me when it's something like "Mother wrote a letter. She says hi" or "I hope you've finished your school work. You need to get good grades to become a prefect, you know." When I met Edmund two days ago, I wasn't expecting him to think of me again. I thought he was just being polite. Those Gryffindors are very noble, according to Albus and the Sorting Hat.

After I finish eating, I get up and leave the Great Hall. I don't feel like staying in the busy common room, so I go up to my dormitory and sit on my bed. My area of the dormitory is a catastrophe. My bed isn't made and there are dirty robes on it and my school books are strewn all over my open trunk. I _really_ need to clean all this up.

I start with my bed. I put the dirty robes in my laundry bag and carefully make my bed, trying to make it as neat as possible. Once my bed looks presentable, I turn to my trunk. I stare at it in dismay. _This_ will take a while…

Five pieces of crumpled parchment, 2 broken quills, and one spilt inkbottle. What a waste. I throw all of this in the garbage and continue on. I only have one quill left, so I'll buy a few more next Hogsmeade weekend. I also need more parchment. And ink.

After organizing my books by subject and folding my clean robes properly, I close my trunk with a flourish and stare around. My area, compared to the others, is so very neat. I happily bounce down to the common room to check when the next Hogsmeade trip is.

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I couldn't figure out the Headmaster at this point. Phineas Nigellus seemed appropriate, as he was alive at that point, but is supposedly 18 years old. What do you think of Professor Rowle? Does the name ring a bell?

Please Review!! : )

PS: JKR's the genius, not me, unfortunately…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

My classes are so tediously boring today. I nearly fell asleep during History of Magic, even though most do anyways. It's Professor Binns who teaches it. He's a ghost, and could ramble on all day about the Goblin Rebellion if you let him. For the first time in ages, I was bored to death in class.

Sometimes I wonder why I wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw. I'm smart, right? I get good grades, I don't space out in class, I study and do my homework. That's what all those Ravenclaws do. Maybe I had too much normalcy to cover it up.

Anyways, back to History of Magic class. This is so tiring that I can actually feel the last of my brain cells slipping away as I slowly fall asleep. Suddenly, the bell rings, and everyone jumps awake. I'd ask someone to copy their notes, but I doubt anyone was awake. Plus, I don't fancy talking to anyone in general.

I look at my watch and rejoice. It's lunch! I celebrate by eating in the kitchen, where Minnie gladly hands over a peanut butter sandwich and offers me a rather small seat. While I eat I have a lovely conversation with Minnie, who tells me about her old masters, the Gaunts.

"My master was a terrible man," Minnie squeaks, shuddering, "he wasn't very nice to Minnie and berated Minnie badly when she didn't do a task properly." Minnie says, her large ears drooping in sadness. "But then Headmaster Nigellus offered Minnie a place here! He isn't very pleasant, but alteast he does not come to the kitchens to bother we house-elves." Minnie concludes happily. I think she is glad she has someone to listen to her.

"But what about you, Miss Ariana? What of your home?" Minnie asks me. I panic. What shall I say? I could never tell anyone about my secret troubles at home. It would be good to get it off my chest, but not now, not today. I glance down at my watch.

"Oh, dear! It is almost time for afternoon classes. I had better go." Minnie nods and begins to clean up my tray. "Thanks for the sandwich and the lovely story!" I call over my shoulder as I walk out. It wasn't exactly a 'lovely' story, I must admit, but, what else could I say? Thanks for the sad story? Not exactly a compliment. Minnie deserves compliments. She is a good house-elf.

Glancing at my watch, I realize that it is indeed time for classes, so I run to the Hufflepuff common room to grab my books and head for Transfiguration. Professor Angletroph glances at me with an unreadable expression.

"We are learning the cheering charm today," she says. "It is a charm that makes a person happy, cheerful and bubbly." Then she shows us the proper incantation and wand movement and we get to work.

As usual, I have no partner, and not just because there is an odd number of students in my class. Professor Angletroph usually allows me to practice the charm on her as there is no one else. I master the spell almost immediately. Professor Angletroph gives me big thumbs up and a cheery smile. Even without the thumbs up, I can tell I did it properly. Professor Angletroph usually doesn't smile. Then she cheerfully assigns us an essay on the counter-charm of the cheering charm for tomorrow. The class groans in unison, but I am perfectly happy with this. Charms is my favorite subject and the homework is always easy.

I exit the Charms classroom hidden among the throng of students and make my way towards the front gates where I will then go to Herbology.

Herbology may not be my favorite subject, but it is rather soothing to get my hands in the dirt. This class we are learning how to harvest a Puffapod, which is a great pink puff ball that bursts into flowers seeds when dropped. Just as I pick up the Puffapod, someone from Ravenclaw shouts out that he succeeded and it startles me so badly that I drop the Puffapod and now I have flower seeds all over my school robe. The Herbology teacher allows me to go to my dormitory to change.

Herbology is the last class of the day, so I don't bother going back outside. I stay in my dormitory until the bell rings, and then I head down to the Great Hall for dinner.

After a quiet but scrumptious dinner, I work in the library as usual. I do have quite a bit to do - an essay from each of the classes I had today. I start with the History of Magic essay, as I would like to get it over with. Then I proceed to do Herbology, then Potions. Those took a while too, and by the time I finish the three essays, I have been in the library for well over an hour and a half. Now I do Charms. I flip through my Charms textbook in search of the Cheering Charm's counter-charm, but it is not there. I sigh, then push back my chair and head straight for the Charms section of the library.

This section is extremely large, and there are too many books to choose from. I roam from shelf to shelf in search of the right book, but I cannot find it. I use my skill of pulling out a random book in hope that I will find the right one.

The book I pull out is very old and tattered, and the edges of the pages were frayed. This is obviously not the right book I am looking for. I am about to put the ancient book back in its' rightful place when I catch a glimpse of the title;

'_Elemental Magic by Christopher Firedwell'_

I stare at the cover for a few moments. Elemental Magic? What rubbish is this? It is a legend, everyone knows that. I shake my head. This is most probably just a book about the legend of elemental magic and such. Nothing all that useful for cheering charms, so I continue down the aisle.

Eventually, I find the right book and I finish up my last essay of the day. It is already 9 o'clock, and I have only a half hour left till curfew, so I head back to the shelves in search of a good book to read before bed.

After a good few minutes of searching, I find myself back in the Charms section, in an aisle that I didn't pass through while searching for a book for my essay. I pick a random book from the shelf nearest me and walk back to my seat without even glancing at the book.

I throw myself onto my chair and lay the book on the desk. The back is the side facing up so I do not see the title. I flip the book over and stare.

_Elemental Magic by Christopher Firedwell_?!

Have I gone mad? I'm positive I have never been in that aisle. I let my fingers slide across the old and withered cover then I open the book to the first page. I skip the title page and the publication page. After that is the introduction. I skip that too, as it is obviously of no importance. I have read many books in the past, and all of them had rather dull introductions. The next page is blank except for a single quote that reads;

_Thou hast as chiding a nativity_

_As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,_

_To herald the from the womb_

The next page is the first chapter, entitled "Elements for Beginners," which I begin to read.

"_Elemental Magic is a branch of study that is extremely complicated and advanced. It is used to bring forwards the four major forms of nature; Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Each of these four types of Element represent nature is such a way that the elemental witch or wizard (more commonly known as Elemental Sorcerer or Elemental Magician) will achieve the power to control them. This power comes from our Center, where all magical power is found. The level of magic stored there is called the Aether, or in some cultures Akasha. In the majority of the population of Wizards and Muggles included, the level of Aether is very low._"

Suddenly I hear a little cough. I look up to see the librarian, Ms. Othello, standing in front of my desk.

"The library is closing now, Ms. Dumbledore." She said sternly. I look at my watch. She's right.

"I'm so sorry, I lost track of time. Could you hang on, I'd like to take this book out." I reply as I hastily put away my essays into my bag and close the book. I follow Ms. Othello up to the front desk, where I hand over the book for her to take out for me.

The librarian looks at the book and her eyebrows crease with deliberate slowness. I look at her curiously as she runs her hands longingly across the cover. I shift my bag from one shoulder to the other, which seems to attract the attention of the distracted librarian. She clears her throat distractedly, shakes her head quickly and proceeds to check out the book for me. When she finishes, she hands in back to me reluctantly.

"Just out of curiosity, where did you find this book? I have never seen it before." She says with an odd catch in her voice.

"In the Charms section." I reply, tilting my head quizzically. Ms. Othello has been working her for over 10 years. How could she have never seen it? Hasn't anyone ever taken it out before?

"Ah, right." She replies uncertainly. I bid her goodnight and walk slowly out of the library, deep in thought.

**Author's Note:** See, this is where the good stuff begins. We uncover something new- the book. Speaking of which, that quote there is obviously not mine, I found it on Wikipedia after searching up the four elements. I forgot to save the page but it did say under the quote:

PERICLES, from Pericles Prince of Tyre.

I have no idea what that is, but who cares. : )

Anyways, please leave me a review, preferable with lots of feedback, I love it! Especially if you be honest. Because if you're not, then I'll be a little too confident of myself and think my work is perfect when it's really not.

Only the plot and the unrecognizable characters are mine…


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